HOW E-WASTE IS HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH

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HOW E-WASTE IS HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH
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E-waste is a term used for electronic products
and computers that are thrown out, including
laptops, tablets, printers, phones, game
consoles, televisions, and DVD players, to name a
few. Over 40 million tons of e-waste is produced
worldwide every year, and only about 13 of that
e-waste is recycled. As newer electronics are
produced, older electronics become obsolete, and
all too often are not disposed of properly. To
visualize how much 40 million tons is, the amount
of e-waste produced yearly is equal to
approximately 400 aircraft carriers in weight.
Picture 348 aircraft carriers (87 of 400) being
tossed into landfills every year, and that number
continuing to grow, and it becomes clear that
recycling e-waste has to become a priority.
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E-waste cant simply be burned like some garbage.
Burning e-waste creates very fine particles,
which are then breathed in and can cause
pulmonary and cardiovascular disease.
Cancer-producing dioxins are released into the
air whenever e-waste is burned. E-waste must be
properly disposed of to prevent causing damage to
the environment and posing a health threat, and
the very best disposal method for the environment
is recycling obsolete computers and other
electronics. The list of toxic components in
e-waste is long mercury, lead, cadmium,
polyromantic flame retardants, barium, lithium
and polyvinyl chloride (which is in the plastic
cases of electronics). If electronics arent
safely and responsibly recycled, that toxic mix
in landfills seeps into the soil and water,
poisoning it.
What Discarded Electronics Do to the Environment
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Lethal materials that shouldnt be consumed
damage the soil food is grown in, the plants and
grains that livestock eats, and the water needed
to water crops, as well as drinking water for
livestock and humans. Toxic metals, like lead,
can contaminate drinking water, which is already
a precious commodity worldwide as multiple areas
face record droughts and try to find ways to
conserve water. A single computer monitor has
approximately 5 to 8 pounds of lead in it.
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The toxic components in e-waste have the ability
to damage almost every system in the human body
the nervous system, reproductive system and
skeletal system, as well as the brain, heart,
liver and kidneys, and also causes birth defects.
Exposure to improperly disposed of chlorine
causes the destruction of cell structure and
tissue damage. Cadmium is found in cell phone
batteries and can cause problems with learning,
cognition, behavior and neuromotor skills in
children. It can also cause kidney damage. The
poison arsenic is another way in how e-waste is
harmful to your health. Arsenic is found in many
electronics, including cell phones. High doses of
arsenic are lethal, while lower levels of
exposure can cause detrimental damage to the
nervous and respiratory systems as well as the
skin and liver.
How E-Waste Is Harmful to Your Health
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If the e-waste equivalent of 348 aircraft
carriers continues to be dumped into landfills
yearly, by the year 2020 another 200 million tons
of toxic-filled electronics will be seeping into
the soil and water. The simple act of recycling
obsolete electronics protects the planet as well
as the health and safety of people everywhere.
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• Website http//www.allgreenrecycling.com
• All Green Recycling
• info_at_allgreenrecycling.com
• [phone] 
•  
• Sources
• http//www.e-cycle.com/tag/e-waste-effects-to-the-
  human-body/
• http//www.greencitizen.com/learn-more/harmful-eff
  ects/
• http//fuelcity.org/
• http//www.allgreenrecycling.com/blog/how-e-waste-
  is-harmful-to-your-health/